Berwick Rangers make a rare trip to Fir Park on Saturday to close the group stage of the Betfred Cup. A win for Motherwell will guarantee a seeded place in Sunday's knockout draw so there can be no room for complacency.
The teams last met in August 1983 when Motherwell won both legs of a League Cup clash 2-0. Our scorers included some memorable names from that era: Edvaldsson, Gahagan, Ritchie and Gillespie.
The visitors have not found much reward so far in this season’s competition. After an opening 1-0 defeat from Morton they earned their solitary point against Edinburgh City (2-2) before losing the penalty shootout. Queen’s Park won the match at Shielfield Park 3-2 to leave them bottom of Group F.
Motherwell fielded an under strength selection on Tuesday when they faced Edinburgh City. With no goals forthcoming by the break the team was strengthened by the introduction of Cadden and Tanner. City scored and Bigirimana joined the fray. Two late goals saved our blushes.
Our new captain has been rewarded with a one year extension to his contract. The news that Carl McHugh will be on the books until 2019 has been welcomed by fans and is viewed as a smart piece of business.
We can expect Robinson to start with an eleven close to our best as this match will provide the last test ahead of the Premiership opener against Rangers. The bookies are offering around 9/1 for an away win but there will be few takers.
With the familiar surroundings of Fir Park and a perfect pitch ready for the game we should return to goal-scoring form with a 3-0 win.